College Writing Skills with Readings, 11th edition, emphasizes writing skills as well as process. By identifying a set of 4 fundamental skills critical to effective writing, College Writing Skills with Readings encourages students to see writing as a skill that can be learned and a process that must be explored. These 4 skills, or bases, for effective writing are as follows:

Unity: Discover a clearly stated point, or topic sentence, and make sure that all other information in the paragraph or essay supports that point.

Support: Support the points with specific evidence, and plenty of it.

Coherence: Organize and connect supporting evidence so that paragraphs and essays transition smoothly from one bit of supporting information to the next.

Sentence skills: Revise and edit so that sentences are error-free for clearer and more effective communication.

These four bases are essential to all effective writing, whether it be a narrative paragraph for a personal journal, a cover letter for a job application, or an essay for an academic assignment.